Tracing The 180 Years Of Indonesian Tea Heritage From Pagilanan Which Is Often Forgotten

Opening of Cha Co outlets (Adelia/VOI)

JAKARTA - In the midst of the increasingly diverse trend of modern drinks, one thing is often forgotten, namely tea as part of a rich and deep Indonesian culture. CEO of Cha Co, Myra Suraryo reminded that before coffee became a lifestyle, tea actually flowed in the daily lives of the people of the archipelago.

"Indonesians have always been drinking tea, not coffee," said Myra, when met at Taman Anggrek Mall, Grogol, Jakarta on Monday, October 20, 2025.

Coffee is only popular when western culture enters Indonesia. In the past, people ate and drank using fresh tea ice or sweet tea ice. So tea is part of our identity," he added.

The tea that Cha Co brings is not just any tea. According to Myra, the basic ingredients for all of its products come from the Pagilaran Tea Plantation, a legendary tea garden located in Central Java. This garden has a long history that is rarely known to the wider community.

'Not many know, until maybe no one has realized. It turns out that the largest and oldest tea garden in Asia is in Indonesia, in Pagilaran. It is 180 years old," he said.

Pagilan is referred to as a single-orgin tea garden, meaning that all of its tea leaves come from one plantation source, not a mixture from various places like most of the world's tea.

"Most of the world's tea is mixed, mixed from various gardens. While Cha Co is a single egg. All the tea is from Pagilaran. So the quality is high and we inherit Indonesia's extraordinary wealth," he explained.

Not only about taste and quality, Myra emphasized that Cha Co was also born out of concern for mental health. He explained that every tea concoction was created with the aim of supporting a certain mood or mood.

"Our tea is designed in such a way for various moods," he said.

"If you want to be calmer, there are calming variants. If you want to be excited, there are invigorating variants. There are even entrepreneurship variants to provide an exciting and fun sensation," he continued.

This concept is not just an aesthetic, but is rooted in the old tradition of drinking tea in Indonesia which is always associated with healing, warmth, and togetherness.

"Teh in Indonesia is never just a drink. Usually mixed with ginger, spices, to charcoal (hot sick). Everyone has their own meaning and benefits," said Myra.

One of the innovations that Cha Co has raised is tea with charcoal or charcoal tea. Myra explained that this tradition comes from rural areas in Central Java and Yogyakarta, and is now almost extinct.

"If you go to villages in Jogja, there is still a tradition of drinking tea that is inserted hot charcoal," he said.

The goal is to nourish the stomach, reduce stomach acid, and absorb toxins. That's an old tradition that we want to revive," he continued.

This charcoal tea was then processed into several modern variants, such as Midnight Charcoal Cloud and Charcoal Zinc, two menus called Myra as Cha Co's signature taste icon.

For Myra, Cha Co is not just a culinary business. He called it a revitalization movement for Indonesia's heritage wealth.

"His spirit is to preserve Indonesia's wealth heritage," he said.

"This Pagilaran tea is not just a matter of taste, but about the lives of thousands of people who have worked in the garden for generations. So every time we drink this tea, we help communities who have maintained the 180-year tradition," he added.

With the establishment of the main Cha Co outlet in Jakarta on October 20, 2025, Myra hopes that tea can again become part of a healthy and modern lifestyle for the Indonesian people, without losing its cultural roots.

Cha Co was born from a dream to share Pagiran's legacy wealth with a new generation. We want to present tea that is not only delicious, but also has meaning by relaxing, refreshing, and uniting," he added.

Furthermore, he added the philosophy that became a symbol of the launch of Cha Co today, namely "From a new idea, prosperity will flow."

Myra introduces two main concepts namely Nava (new ideas and innovations) and Makmoer (prosperity and abundance). Both are combined into the initial symbols of this brand's journey.

Today, we combine 'Nava' and 'Makmoer'. Because of the new idea, prosperity will be born. That's the spirit we bring," he continued.

For Myra and her team, tea is not just a commodity or a temporary lifestyle. Tea is a medium to sustain the past and future, from the Pagilaran tea garden to the younger generation in the city.

Drink tea is actually Indonesian culture. Now is the time for us to return the pride through taste, health, and beauty in every chapter."